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I am almost always on the East (Tower side of the lake. I catch a lot of bass from Everetts bay to Armstrong bay. There is so much good bass habitat that it won't be hard for you to settle in to any section of that southern shore line and catch fish. Look for any combination of Reeds/boulders/docks. When top water conditions are good, throw your favorite TW lure and if you miss fish, have a second rod ready with a crawfish crank bait that you can follow up with. Or just use the craw fish crank bait....:) There are plenty of universal bass lures that would work as well, so if you are more comfortable with a different favorite lure go for it. I've fished with friends that have caught their bass on plenty of other lures (plastics, spinner baits, ect...). I hope you find success, it's a great bass lake!

It was certainly a strange winter, I'm sorry our outing didn't make the cut, Let's try again soon!

@@TheOrdinaryFisherman All good brother, you can't catch 'em all the time! And we definitely should make that happen!

Yup, That was me... :)

@@TheOrdinaryFisherman I was gonna say hi and chat fishing but I wasn’t sure. Good videos

@@ronprestidge5907 Don't hesitate to say hello if you see me again, I love to talk fishing!

@@TheOrdinaryFisherman will do, I’ve gotten out quite a bit this winter, but I work shift work so it’s usually a solo trip

@@ronprestidge5907 I haven't got out near as much as I'd like but us Ordinary Fisherman will take what we can get, thanks for the message!

Fish Lake would be the top of my list, when the water starts hitting 55 degrees you will start to find the crappies shallow in good numbers as they get ready to spawn (which is around 60 degrees). Grand Lake is another decent crappie lake that you should be able to find some decent pods of crappies shallow in the spring. Other local lakes of note to have on your radar is Caribou and Nichols....Thanks for watching!

Lol, ufda.....

Lol.... Hopefully when my daughter wears a funny hat she will continue to catch lots of fish! :)

Not enough to just plan an outing every year unfortunately.... I was hoping to get back out there last winter and the ice never really formed and worked out. The big lake doesn't always want to cooperate but when it does, try to get out there, it's a memorable outing!

Ufda, Ice fishing the big V for panfish is a tall task! I haven't taken on that challenge yet so I don't have a specific spot to send you to but I would say, target the West side of the lake and start in the known bays that have the larger pods of known panfish populations. Norwegian Bay and Black bay would be where I'd start and more specifically, I'd fish the first deeper hole coming out of those bay's towards the main bay. If you do make it out there and find some please DM me on facebook and tell me about it! :) Thanks for the Q's, Tight lines!

I'm not aware of any advisories for consuming fish out of the river above the Thompson Lake dam but don't take my word for it. Be sure to check with the DNR to make sure. Thanks for watching!

If you are referring to the Edmund Fitzgerald then yes, it is! Thank fully we stayed on top of the ice on this trip though....:)

I have not had the privilege to spear fish yet but it is certainly something I'd like to try. My Father in-law has done that many times in his young days and has some great stories of hunting some big Pike, it does sound like fun!

@@TheOrdinaryFisherman pro tip if you plan on drilling an ice hole near the shallows- like 6-9 feet. Gitcha a few bags of white northern beans (dried). Pour those down the ice hole so that they reflect light light off the bottom. And so now if a Pike comes motoring by the decoy - you’ll see his outline/profile from the illuminated bottom

Thanks for asking! I have not quit at all, a few big things have been going on. My sons highschool Baseball was suuuuuper busy as I had made some extra commitments to the team that tied me more to their season then normal (I was broadcasting their games, you can find those on www.twitch.tv/tofisherman and if you decide to watch, pick the second section 7a championship game where they win in extra innings ...😲), then they went to state which took more time and then, about 6 weeks ago my editing computer died and I wasn't able to afford replacing it right away. I'm hoping to start getting caught up with my episodes in the next month and get back out on the water! It's been a whorl wind of a spring/summer this year!!

Thanks for tuning in!! I end up alone because I go fishing on short notice when my schedule allows and that doesn't usually afford many of my friends to join me...:) I'm always up for company if it can work out, why don't you DM me via my facebook page and we can communicate there about any potential future outings...

I'm glad to hear it! Although, you always feel like you miss something when your itching to get out but can't make it happen...:)

Thanks for that Aaron! Although, it takes a nice person to know a nice person...:)

I always end up singing the fish a tune at some point during my outings, lol...

It would be hard to compare the two, Racing has it's own adrenaline rush, I love them both, lol....

Good stuff, I appreciate the tip! I was hoping to get out there again this year but the ice didn't cooperate...:( Hopefully next year will be better and I'll be able to implement some of the things I've been learning from folks like you who have been willing to share way's to get them to bite....:) Thanks for watching!

These "Puddle Jumpers" are my favorite lakes to fish, they can be hidden gems, Thanks for watching!

It takes about that long up here to just get a 10incher...😳 I know I'm just scratching the surface of what the blue gills potential really is with these 10inchers but because I'm mostly limited to the lakes around me there is a size cap of 10-10.5". Now that we have some lakes where there is some intentionality of keeping the fish in the water I'm sure we'll start seeing some 11+ inchers in the next couple years. I look forward to it...and.... If you have a place where you could catch a 14" gill I would sure appreciate an invitation to join you!! Ever since I caught 10.75" gills in NC I've been after bigger ones! And yes, you would here me hoot and holler, lol.... Thanks for watching!

Sand lake...early june..yer invited..

And..I have all kinds of bluegill baits for you..I mean lots..my compliments on your videos

@@borealwhisperer6044 Oh boy... I'm in, let's chat again the end of May when I have a better handle on my schedule and see if we can make an outing happen, Thanks!

I know we've chatted about this lake before, but 14" blue gill is a big promise! I would be very satisfied with anything over 10.5" though so no pressure...:)

I am sure that is what they are out there chasing! My boat is still winterized so I'll have to sit that fishing trip out, lol...:)

My daughter will probably take over for me one day, lol...😯

Our family cabin is in Pike bay so I've spent countless hours looking for Gills in that bay with only a few fish to show for it. I've given up fishing Pike bay for panfish actually...:( The best luck I've had finding Gills and Crappies on Vermilion have been on the West side. My personal opinion is that the Rusty Crayfish are so bad on the East side of the lake that the gills can't keep them off the beds to eat their eggs. Where ever you end up I hope you find em, thanks for watching!

@@TheOrdinaryFisherman Thanks for the info. since Pike is shallower I would have thought there would have been more in there. Sounds like there are some longer runs in store for me. Thanks. Have a video from last year on my channel if you care to check it out. Happy fishing

@@Clarencechapman There are small populations of decent sized Gills still on the East side but it's a big lake so you will spend a lot of time trying to find them. I've spent to much time in Everett's, Stuntz, Armstrong, Pike bay and others looking in all the "Panfishy" areas at the prime times and have come up mostly empty handed with just an occasional nice gill. If you watch enough of my videos you'll know that I love blue gill so it pained me to give up trying to find them on East side of Vermilion. The Bass and Eyes are plentiful though so when I finally shifted gears to those species I was having fun fishing from the cabin again...:) Conversely, the half dozen or so times I've targeted panfish areas over the years on the West side I've had decent success. They still aren't as plentiful as one would think for the great habitat available to them but they are also findable. Vermilion is a great fishery though, Tight lines!

@@TheOrdinaryFisherman Again I appreciate the info. A couple at the resort (Forest Lane) said they had some success on the north side of Pine Island in the reeds and weeds. They are usually there when we are so maybe I will see if I can follow them. LOL

Thank you!

Ha! Glad you found a little something to scratch that itch! I love to ice fish so I'm not pining for the opener yet but come April I'll be rarin' to go!!

Good to know, I've had my eye on that lake but haven't had a chance to get out there and try it, Thanks!

I'd be happy to have a DM conversation on Facebook if that works for you? If so feel free to message me there and I can pass along a lake or two...:)

I sent you a DM on Facebook, when you have some time we can chat. Thanks

I am unsure about the timing of when or even if the coho's migrate in and out of that bay. If it were me, and the ice was locked up in there and I had the time to try it out tomorrow then I'd do it and find out. The best way to know what the fish do is the old "time on the water" adage. Hope it works out, be safe out there! :)

@@TheOrdinaryFisherman thanks! Learning by doing and experience is the best way. Recently moved to Duluth and have loved the challenge of learning the fishery.

@@fishingwithjunie Welcome! Northern MN is definitely a fisherman's play ground, I don't think you will have to much trouble finding fisheries you'll like!

Thanks for watching!

Dude! I went right to the Lake Finder on the MN Dnr web site to find that lake and I don't see it anywhere, would you mind DM'ing me on FB with more specifics? You are speaking my fishing language with info on Big Blue Gills! If you've watched most of my stuff you probably have got that flavor already but I will add that I will not be the one who will fish a spot with Big Gills and take them home, e.i. I will not fish out your spot, Thanks in advance!!

I'm not on Facebook..and its a mn dnr trophy bluegill lake ..5 fish limit..and it has the most amazing colored walleyes you may ever see.

Sand lake.. lake county mn dnr lake finder

@@borealwhisperer6044 Ahhhh... It's further down Hwy 1 closer to Isabella, I wasn't looking that far south of Ely. It's on my radar, Thanks for the tip!!

How’s the access there? I’ve been planning to go for sometime but never know if that campground road is plowed.

Thanks for the comment and watching the episode! I've never smelt fished before but I know folks who have and it seems that it's more about the timing then anything else. Those I know who chase smelt do it right from the lake side beach of Park point at dusk into the evening. I'm sure there are some areas of the beach that are better than others for whatever reason but if you time the smelt run right you should be able to find them. In this episode I was on the harbor side of park point (the none lake superior side) and accessed the bay from the public launch there. It's easy access and you don't have to walk out a half mile like I did to find some walleyes. I've seen fisherman just 100 yards from the launch fishing and I'm sure they are there because they catch some fish....:) As far as the Walleye limit in the bay goes, being that it's shared waters with Wi it will have different regs then the Walleye limits for the inland lakes of MN (which also have a few lakes with limit exceptions so always check the regs!:) My understanding of where we were in the harbor was that it was a 2 fish limit with a 15" minimum on the size of what you keep, please double check the regulations though and don't take my word for it. Thanks again for your interest in my videos, tight lines!

Glad you found the channel, thanks for the sub and for watching! There are quite a few lakes in that 20ish or so mile radius that have good largemouth fishing, A few good options off the top of my head are, Pike Lake, Caribou Lake, Grand lake, lake Nichols & Elora . Largies are actually pretty common up here, so many of the small lakes around here have them! Smallies are a bit harder to find in the immediate area. The St. Louis River and Cloquet river are really good Small mouth Bass fisheries though and very much worth your time to explore. I know the cloquet river very well and have caught many bass and walleyes there over the years. I hope to have a bass fishing episode on the fly put together on that river in the near future. Boulder lake has been known to produce Smallies but the population there seams to be sparse. If you like my content I'd encourage you to look through my episodes and you'll see a few places I've mentioned here in them. "Hunting Largemouth on Grand Lake" is one and another is "The One Rod Challenge", both are in season 1. Tight lines & Happy Bass Hunting!!

@@TheOrdinaryFisherman I've checked out all your vids bud. I seen the Grand Lake one. Will definitely have to check that out. I fished the Cloquet few years back just below Island Lake dam. No luck. I'm guessing the Smallies are way farther down the river?! 🤔 What's a good access point for the river?

@@NorthWoodsWes The easiest access is probably where Hwy 53 Crosses over the Cloquet River. Heading north, right after the bridge you take a right on a dirt road and you can park anywhere along that stretch and walk over to the river. If the water is low you can wade and and cover quite a bit of distance. The Bass tend to hang around "eddies" so anything that breaks the current and creates a swirl is a good place to start casting for them. Rooster tails or curly tail grubs on a jig tend to be all I end up needing to have fun catching them. There are other places to access the river as well, basically anywhere a road gets close or crosses the river you'll be able to find some good fishing. In the summer the fish are pretty much all over from the St louis up to the Island lake dam.... Btw, thanks for watching all my videos, hearing that from you made my day...:)

Lol.... I might, maybe, kinda may sing and talke to myself when alone fishing....possibly....😉

I was very happy with the Blue gill avg for this outing and lake, the Ol Red Eye was the icing on the cake though, it was a great day!

I believe they call it the Hillman's Rd since it is maintained by them (Hillman's Bait Station). It's in Waskish, MN which is on the NE side of the lake. They will plow all the way to the boarder of the reservation if the ice will allow. On this outing the road was in about 5 miles. Be safe out there! :)

Noted... A bigger hole would have definitely been handy to landing this bad boy...:)

Sweet, Good luck!

Thanks for the kind comments and the sub! When I decided to start this channel I knew it would ultimately be a reflection of how and where I fish which is pretty much the lakes in our general Duluth area. Lake Vermilion gets highlighted a lot because our family has a cabin up there so that helps get attention being a known MN lake, but otherwise it's mostly a 30ish mile radius of my home...:) I continue to plan putting out content though as I really enjoy sharing what I do in this media medium. With that said, because of the season of life I'm in with my family and although I love it, fishing is only a hobby, I don't have the time to prolifically put out videos like other folks/channels seem to be able to do. So please be patient for new content! Unless I share that I've quit (which I would do) then I'm always trying to plan the next outing and ToF episode...:) The ice is almost safe to get going with the hard water season so look for Season 4 to start soon!

@@TheOrdinaryFisherman man... I just got a mega live ice bundle. When I tell you I'm waiting on safe ice lololol I'M READY NOW!!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣... but safety first. I have the St. Louis county fishing maps and guide book in hand right now, just looking at surveys... .... soon! Lol 🤝🏾

@@Vapor_32 I'm with you man, I'm itching to get out there too but this past warm spell put some of my early ice spots on hold. I like to see 4" before I start wandering out there. It isn't far away though, researching in the mean time is a great way to spend the time! 🎣🤓

@@TheOrdinaryFisherman the book says Rainy, Pelican and Eagles Nests are to be considered for 14+ inch crappie. My late Godfather told me to find 16 inch crappie up here and THATS my #1 personal goal... until. Im a numbers kinda guy, but the die has been cast.

@@Vapor_32 That's a tough number to hit in our northern waters but doable! Red lake should also be on your radar, there are catchable 15+ inchers currently in those waters...:) Island lake or Spirit lake (the end of the St Louis river before the bay of Lake Superior) would probably be your best shot locally for a bigun. I hope you find one, a 16" Black crappie is a true gem!!

Hey Matthew!! Thanks for the comment/question! Not sure I'm the right ordinary fisherman to ask but I'll give it a go. I have never fished Schultz lake (it is on my radar though as I have a friend who has access and wants to fish it together sometime:), so my advice is coming from the lens of the "adjust as you go game plan", lol.... First, the MN DNR info imply's that there isn't a very strong walleye fishery in that lake so just know that catching any amount of 'Eyes would be considered a success in my book. All maps are going to be your friend when you don't have a depth finder, so If you haven't already, download and pay for the Navionics Boating App. It is hands down one of the cheapest & best fishing tools I have. It gives you the lake depths of almost every lake in our area and will also show where you are on that map. This tool will help you estimate the depth on any given location and Google maps can help you find other structure (rock piles, weed edges etc). Ok, from my 30,000' view with these maps, there are a couple locations I would try off the bat, The peninsula on the south shore looks to have a steep break from the shore on the W side and is also close to the deepest part of the lake. I would try any depth here starting in the shallowest areas near the weed line out to the 30' section just before "the hole". There is also what looks to be a "sunken Island" on the south shore line near this point that wouldn't be a bad place to fish around as well. The other spot that looks "fishy" to me is on the N shore of the lake directly across from this point where there is what looks to be a flatter section that leads to a "saddle" and another "sunken Island". I would also probably start shallower near the weed break line on that end and work my way out deeper being sure to fish over that saddle and sunken Island. From a lure stand point I'd keep it simple and start with what I'm the most comfortable with. It's easy to over think new water and try lures you've never used before but in my experience that only tends to add to the frustration when you aren't catching anything. Common walleye lures are common for a reason, they tend to work everywhere. Once I find fish and catch a few then I may start experimenting with different presentations.... Aye, that's a paragraph or two full! Feel free to DM me through facebook anytime if you have any other Q's and Please, let me know how you do on Schultz lake. Good Luck & Tight Lines!!

@@TheOrdinaryFishermanthank you so much for the thorough response!! I can definitely tell you where to fish on Schultz lake, however the fishing has died down there over the last ten years, the water level fluctuating may have something to do with that. Fish the northwest side of the lake where the edge drops off, that whole weed edge has nice northern and crappie. Huge bass under all the docks. Most people just troll the weed line all around the lake! Anyways, now I’m thinking about fish lake, I heard the walleyes are bigger there anyway. Have you tried fish lake? I love navionics, can be hard to judge when the water levels is always changing, but nonetheless still a great tool. I’ll try google earth too!

I'll keep that spot in mind when I can finally make it out on Shultz! :) The walleyes in fish lake have recovered nicely from the down turn it experienced over the past 10-15 years. I have caught a hand full of 20-24"ers as well the past 5 years when targeting them so there is some good size fish in there. I've done well in the main basin of the lake around the island that everyone fishes as well as the north side of the island on the West side of the lake as you start to exit the main basin into the inlet heading towards the bachelor rd launch. I haven't fished the lake really hard for walleyes though as I am usually chasing Gills & Crappies when on FL but I think it is definitely worth getting to know better from a walleye perspective!

Appreciate the kind words! No need to use live bate for them panfish with the tackle options we have today...:)